magoo-35

I have not read the book, but after watching this movie and being deeply moved by it, i intend to read it so as to continue savouring this beautiful romance. My only negative comment is the makeup. There was too much of it and it reminded me of the disastrous makeup in THORNBIRDS. The makers should have used a different actor to play the OLD Florentino, whilst the YOUNG Florentino could easily have played the MIDDLE-AGED Florentino. This would have required far less makeup and we would have seen more of this brilliant actor. As to the other "ageing" characters, they too could have been replaced by older actors. Despite this makeup hiccup, i found everything else about the movie, simply beautiful.

Excellent handling of a very delicate subject. Full marks to the director. And the cast led by Christopher Eccleston and all supporting actors, gave extremely touching performances. The film is an eye-opener, and i felt that the final scene, the most significant and touching in my opinion, sums up the fact that even prejudice may be overcome. It was interesting and amusing at the same time, to see how the work colleague tried to interact with Harry, the male birth parent. It is very easy to fall into the trap of turning such scenes into a comedy, but this film certainly did not make fun of the disabled or handicapped and instead helped one respect and admire them.